Best Ever German Chocolate Cake is a moist chocolate cake with traditional coconut pecan frosting, layer upon layer of goodness.
This Best Ever German Chocolate Cake, or, as my grandpa said, “the best damn cake ever!” A double-layer chocolate cake with a classic German Chocolate Cake frosting.
Today’s recipe is a tribute to my Grandpa, who passed away at the age of 80.
My Grandpa was one of my biggest cheerleaders, and I honestly can’t think of a time he didn’t praise what I was doing. He especially loved my baking. He had a few favorites—really anything I made—but he would often call and offer to pay me to make biscotti. On his last few birthdays, I would make him his favorite: German Chocolate Cake.
Grandpa loved these German Chocolate Cake Cookies and I wish I would have made the German Chocolate Cake and cookies for him more often.
I have the best memories of my Grandpa while I was growing up. Rode in my first convertible with him, talked on my first car phone in that very same convertible, went to my first flea market, and even learned to barter with him. I got my good business sense from him.
My sister, Nicole, and I would fly out to see him and my grandmother in Arizona and make up dance routines in his hot tub. He said we would be famous… and we were to him.
One of the most vivid memories I have was with my first school dance and date, my parents were out of town and I was staying with my grandparents. While I was getting ready, my Grandpa made it clear what would happen to this boy if there was any “fooling around”, and he wasn’t joking.
(That was the last date with that boy. My grandpa read people very well).
My grandpa always had to be somewhere other than where he was and this got worse as he got older. “When are we gonna go grandma?” “Time to get home Betty.” Even though he was always eager to go, we knew he loved being around all of us, especially his 9 great-grandchildren.
He loved to play cards, ride his bike, fish, and he loved people. He worked as a claims adjuster for Prudential and All-State and was passionate about his job!
My grandpa was an American hero, serving in the Korean War as a medic in the Army. After returning from the war, he married his “Marilyn Monroe” – my grandma.
He was proud of my grandma, and over the years, he relied on her to tend to him as he battled many illnesses, including cancer. My Grandpa was a proud Eagle Scout and had recently given all of his scout stuff to my husband, a scoutmaster. He was super proud when my son Aiden recently achieved his Arrow of Light in Cub Scouts. In fact, when Aiden was given the news of his G-pa’s passing, Aiden went and got out G-pa’s Boy Scout sash and said he would wear it in honor of him.
There are many great memories I will cherish, and every time I go to make my biscotti, cookies, and German chocolate cake, he will be next to me, asking for a bite or offering me 5 bucks for a slice.
Love and miss you G-pa! XOXO San
See how easy this German Chocolate Cake is to make.
How do you make German Chocolate Cake?
Chocolate Cake
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Preheat oven to 350º F. Grease 3-8 or 9 inch round cake pans and lightly dust with cocoa powder. I like to make a 2 layer cake and set the 3rd aside for kids that don’t like the frosting and my sisters with nut allergies.
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In mixing bowl (I use my Kitchen Aid), add flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir until well combined.
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Add milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla to flour mixture and mix together on medium speed until well mixed. Reduce the speed to low and add boiling water to the cake batter a little bit at a time. Once the water is all mixed in, beat on high for about 1 minute.
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Evenly distribute cake batter between the prepared cake pans.
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Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
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Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and cool completely.
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Make frosting while cake is baking, as it needs an hour to cool.
Coconut Pecan Frosting
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In a large saucepan combine evaporated milk, sugar, egg yolks, margarine, and vanilla. Cook over low-medium heat until it reaches a slow boil. Stirring constantly until thick, about 12 minutes from when it starts to slowly boil. Remove from heat and stir in pecans and coconut, this frosting will thicken up as it cools.
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Let cool 1 hour then spread on cooled cake. I use 1 1/2 cups in between each layer and then use the rest to frost the outside. For easier cutting, place the frosted cake in the fridge for 30 minutes before slicing and serving. Enjoy!
Tips on making the perfect German Chocolate Cake:
Make sure your eggs and butter are stored at room temperature.
Make sure your cake is completely cool before you frost it.
Prepare the frosting a day ahead of time and store in the refrigerator. Then remove from fridge and let it sit out for an hour at room temperature before you frost the cake, this will make it for easy spreading.
It is best to store this cake in the fridge.
How do you store German Chocolate Cake?
If properly wrapped, the freshly baked chocolate cake will last for about 1 to 2 days at normal room temperature.
Wrap tightly with cling wrap or tin foil and refrigerate to extend the life of the cake.
If you’re looking for other German Chocolate inspired recipes, check out my No-Bake German Chocolate Cheesecake that is to die for. For a bite-sized version, try my German Chocolate Cake Cookies, or these German Chocolate Cake Donut Holes that are perfect for breakfast.
After making this delicious cake, be sure to try these next! Lemon Lime Layer Cake, Best Ever Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Raspberry Layer Cake, and my favorite, Double Chocolate Nutella Cake.
Don’t forget to pin this GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE recipe to your favorite Pinterest board for later.
Love anything German Chocolate be sure to check out these A Dash of Sanity Favorites.
German Chocolate Cake Donut Holes – my grandpa would have loved these!
German Chocolate Carrot Cake – a twist that made my hubby fall in love with carrot cake.
Best Ever German Chocolate Cake
Video
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 3/4 cup cocoa
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup boiling water
Coconut Pecan Frosting (makes 5 1/2 cups)
- 2 cups evaporated milk
- 2 cups white granulated sugar
- 6 egg yolks beaten with 2 teaspoons water
- 1 cup butter or margarine
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups chopped pecans
- 2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
Instructions
Chocolate Cake
- Preheat oven to 350º F. Grease 3-8 or 9 inch round cake pans and lightly dust with cocoa powder. I like to make a 2 layer cake and set the 3rd aside for kids that don't like the frosting and my sisters with nut allergies.
- In mixing bowl (I use my Kitchen Aid), add flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir until well combined.
- Add milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla to flour mixture and mix together on medium speed until well mixed. Reduce the speed to low and add boiling water to the cake batter a little bit at a time. Once the water is all mixed in, beat on high for about 1 minute.
- Evenly distribute cake batter between the prepared cake pans.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and cool completely.
- Make frosting while cake is baking, as it needs an hour to cool.
Coconut Pecan Frosting
- In a large saucepan combine evaporated milk, corn starch, sugar, egg yolks, margarine, and vanilla. Cook over low-medium heat until it reaches a slow boil. Stirring constantly until thick, about 12 minutes from when it starts to slowly boil. Remove from heat and stir in pecans and coconut, this frosting will thicken up as it cools.
- Let cool 1 hour then spread on cooled cake. I use 1 1/2 cups in between each layer and then use the rest to frost the outside. For easier cutting, place the frosted cake in the fridge for 30 minutes before slicing and serving. Enjoy!
Gpa with some of his great-grandkids Christmas 2014.
Delicious!!! I made this into a 9″ layer cake – do you have any tips on icing it? I loved your tribute to your Grandfather – You can feel the love through your memories! Thank you for sharing 🙂
I had forgotten to get a store bought German chocolate cake mix, so I decided to make one from scratch, this one was a hit and I’m keeping it. Yummy
umm i am just making it like right now nd i finished baking it but…. i forgot to put in the boiling water in the mix of the cake what would be the difference ?
please hurry !!!!!
I made your German Chocolate Cake recipe for my father-in-law’s birthday, after finding out it was his favorite type of cake. This was my first experience making a German Chocolate Cake from scratch. Even my husband, who typically does not like chocolate, said it was great. Thanks for sharing your recipe. It’s a unique way to honor the memory of your grandfather.
So happy that you loved it. And Happy Birthday to your father-in-law. You are very sweet to do that for him. XO San
I’ve read that 100% pure olive oil is a good substitute for vegetable oil in chocolate cakes. Would you recommend that for this recipe?
Hi,
Very sorry to hear of your granpas’s death. My condolences. RIP. Regarding both his and my own favourite cake, can you confirm:
1) is it sweetened coconut flakes?
2) is it canned evaporated milk or sweetened condensed milk?
3) is the cocoa sweetened or not.
Grateful for your assistance.
Cheers
Bruce
I have made your cake twice already and it was a huge hit. Thank you for sharing.
I have made this cake several times now. It is a big hit at my house. I have only done it has a layer cake. Does it do well in a sheet pan or do I need to make any adjustments to the recipe, thanks.
So I’m in the process of making this cake… I have followed your recipe to the “T,” but the batter seems quite thin. I’m going to pop it in the oven and see what happens when I bake it anyways, but is this recipe normally more runny than other recipes? I’m sorry to hear about your lost loved one. Its always nice to be able to share recipes from the ones who have gone. I make some pretty amazing “coconut dream bars” that were my great grandmother’s recipe… I’ll post the recipe soon!
What a great way to keep your grandfathers memories alive. Your story is similar to mines. I was very close to my grandfather as well and he also loved all my baking. He too had a few favorites he would request once in a while especially on his birthday. My grandfather passed away in 2013 and really left an empty space in my heart. He too was one of my biggest cheerleaders. Baking just wasn’t the same without his loving words of praise. But time has passed and his absence in our daily life’s has becoming a great way to remember all the little things he did to make us smile and laugh. I seriously can’t sit to try your recipe! It’s looks delicious and I love that it’s from scratch. Hopefully it’s comes out great! Thanks for sharing:)
Hey Sandra, stumbled on you at Pinterest. I truly enjoyed reading your fond memories of your grandpa. These little comforts from the kitchen will always serve to remind you of someone very dear to you. By the way, German chocolate cake is my FIL’s favorite, too. My FIL IS 93. He sounds very much like your grandpa.
Very nice tribute to your grandpa. I’m from Germany and I have to ask: why is it called “German” chocolate cake? I have never seen such a cake in Germany and the ingredients aren’t that German either (like pecans or coconut). Do you know the story behind this?
I’m making this cake for my husbands birthday, it looks great!
Just wondering if anyone has any tips on how I could adjust the frosting recipe as I’ve only got sweetened coconut flakes. Or were sweetened coconut flakes used here? The recipe doesn’t specify so I assumed they are unsweetened but any help or tips would be great!
Thanks!
My boyfriend requested a German chocolate cake for his birthday and I found your recipe on Pinterest. The cake and frosting were easy to make and the directions were very clear. I ended up with three 8″ layers so I decided to be fancy and use them all. I doubled the icing recipe and it was more than enough. Next time I will follow your instructions and just frost two of the layers but I probably won’t double the icing and see how that works out. Everyone loved the flavor of the cake and icing and the texture was spot on. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
One of a Few of my Favorite Cakes, Always!
Hry, I just had a question. I’m making this on a half sheet tray and I’m going to cut it into small pieces and make it into little shooter desserts. How sturdy is the cake? Would it be best to freeze it or refirigerate it before cutting it? I’m mostly worried about pushing it into the bottom of the shooter glasses that it might crumble.
Hi. I’ve tried making this cake twice, and although it tastes AMAZING, both times it has sunken really bad in the center. I made this both times in a 9×13 and it was nice and fluffy around the edges and flat as a pancake in the center. Any ideas why this happened? We do live at higher elevation, 4500 ft.
When you use “best ever” in the title of the recipe, it had better be spectacular. This was not. I followed the recipe exactly as written. The cake was fine on its own, but the frosting was an unappealing texture, taste, and look. It had a thick layer of melted butter that sat on top of the cooked frosting and when cooled, the excess butter could even be drained off. After spreading it on the cake, it didn’t get better as it remained a big greasy mass. Very disappointed it was a waste.
Ann – Sorry the frosting did not turn out for you. I have made this recipe countless times, so I am not sure what happened. Wish we could do this in the kitchen together – so you could taste how amazing it is.
It’s not german chocolate cake because you don’t use german chocolate. But its a delicious cake. Made it last night and it tastes amazing. Turned out perfect.
German Chocolate cake is from the US, not Germany . It was created by a man whose name was Samuel German. He worked for Baker’s Chocolate Company.
I made this for a co-worker, the cake is excellent, thanks for sharing a part of your heritage & family love with us.
I’ll be making this cake again and again.
I was in search of a German chocolate cake when came across this and I have never read the history behind someone’s recipe before and I’m so glad I did. I recently lost my sweet grandpa and this brought back such good memories of him taking care of me when I was young and putting a flower in my hair and taking me to church every Sunday in his 1957 caddy, which I called the green car. He would laugh so easily too! It’s bittersweet when we loose someone like that. I’ll be making this cake for my mother in laws birthday tomorrow and will be enjoying it in honor of these two wonderful men ♥️ Thanks for sharing!!
Im not sure what I did wrong, but my cake fell flat. 🙁 Any suggestions?
I just sent you am email.
This Cake so shiny and pretty. That plus the best CHOC cake recipe I have tried ., super scrummy! Making frosting now . thanks for this!